Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-03-31
QUEER REVELATION.
The Trick by Which Apparently Costly
Presents Are Made Cheaply.


The other day an innocent man
walked into a popular shop in this city
where bric-a-bric is sold, and costly
china, and all the glittering crystals
and glasses of foreign and domestic
make that the heart of the insatiate
housekeeper could sigh for.
The innocent man, who was in search
of holiday present for the best wife in
the world, was quite dazzled, when
suddenly he saw something so odd that
he forgot all about being dazzled and
began to grow curious. 1t was num-
Der of exquisite vases and plates, which
were broken into fragments, yet care
fully laid by themselves as if for pres
ervation.
"Can you mend them?" asked the
innocent man.
NO." said the shopkeeper.
"What do you keep them for, thenP'
''For SALE.
"Ah! yes. To put into colored win
dow arrangements, | suppose. | was
reading about that in an art magazine
the other day.
NO" The shopkeeper was still ret
icent.
'They use them formosaics in floors,
too, they tell me, and they work up
beautifully. Itneeds an artist to do it,
though, for, of course, unless it is &
success it is a most abject failure. Even
Whistler is not above designing mo-
sale out of scraps of rich colored ware,
I've read"
$50 P" remarked the shopkeeper.
"Yes," replied the innocent man, {
little embarrassed. "Besides, / heal
that some clever aesthetics have useC
them in dados instead of tiles, and thai
if they are set in gray plastering they
give most striking effect with a wal
in distemper above. Or they may b.
put together with cement"
"Yesp'
Good heavens, man, what are thos'
scraps of decorated imbecility being
saved for, anyway. Do you own pri
vate insane asylum and are you tryins
to fill itp"
co." said the shopkeeper, just dis
covering that his customer "wante'
to know, you know" 1--WE sell those
There's vase we imported straigh
from Persia. Ii was marked $50. Sc
what a combination of colors II
sell it to you now for So. Or, here's
plate from Calais. 1t came out of
curious old collection, You can hav
it for so cents. 1t cost us Sc"
"But what earthly good" -
"Arn't you buying presentsP
"Surely."
"Well, then! Are you going to pac
them-that is, are you going to sen
them out of the city by expressP"
mo, I'm not. "
"You can't manage it, then. If yo
were you can see how easy it makes il
You buy an elegant vase worth fit
dollars for few cents, have it careful
ly packed, send it to dear friend
who goes to his grave believing thf
you are the most generous of men an
he the most unfortunate.
"Do you actually do that"
"People come in here and ask fC
broken or cracked things to send ava
) people with plenty of money, to'
for, naturally enough, it's only I'll
) people with money who know about a
t these delicate and rare wares, or VII
could be expected to send them"
: ''Do they look as if they hated then
, selvesP" queried the innocent mai
with sigh.
. 30, no." returned the other; ''tht
: look as if they thought themselves +
| markably smart
''Do you love your fellow-mani
| asked the innocent man, grown
curious again and still lingering.
"Well, not so much as did before
S went into the glass business. "-C
: cago Tribune.